Chris Cole, WRRA Candidate Bio - 2023



Hello, my name is Chris Cole and a relatively new member of WRRA. I have been rowing at WRRA for the past two years, first in a novice SRL boat in 2022 then in an experienced SRL boat the summer of 2023. Additionally, I rowed intermediate this past summer and then in the fall rowing league that followed. Lastly I rowed in my first HOTC as a sub this past September.

Despite being relatively new to being in a shell, I have been a part of the rowing community for the past 6 years. My daughter Meg has been rowing since 2019 first as a member of the Shaker crew team, and now as a member of her collegiate rowing team. While supporting her, and volunteering at several regattas, including the HOTC, I also served on the parents’ board of the Shaker team.

My family and I have been a part of the Cleveland community since late 2006 (though my wife lived in Cleveland Heights and Solon from birth to 1999). I am currently a VP in a local consulting firm headquartered in Beachwood but have worked at the Cleveland Clinic and Key Bank in addition to other consulting firms. In addition to my professional career, I have also served on the board for the EDWINS located on Shaker Square. EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute is a 501(c)(3) organization that offers formerly incarcerated adults a foundation in the culinary and hospitality industries and a support network necessary for long-term success. I was first elected to the EDWINS Board in 2013, served on Governance and Finance committees and acted as Vice Chair for 2 years before serving as Chair for 4 years. I recently stepped down (due to term limitations) but my family and I remain actively involved in the mission of the organization.

I have really enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of Cleveland’s rowing community. The prospect to learn and grow every time I get into a shell has challenged me in ways I have not anticipated. Additionally, getting to know others within the boat, and boathouse, has led to new relationships and opportunities to connect. I am excited about the prospect of serving on the WRRA Board and look forward to further strengthening the impact the organization has on its members and potentially the community.

Tim Marcovy, WRRA Candidate Bio - 2023

Tim Marcovy was one of the five founders of the Western Reserve Rowing Association (WRRA) in 1989, and assisted in the founding of the CRF (formerly the Western Reserve Rowing Foundation) in 1995. He has served as president, secretary and vice president of the WRRA at various times, and has served on the Board of Trustees of the WRRA and the Board of Directors of the CRF. He was Chair of the CRF Safety Committee from 1995 - 2006, and 2012- 2015. He has been and currently is on the Board of Directors of the Spartan Alumni Rowing Association (SARA), the alumni support organization for Case Western Reserve University Crew Club. He also serves on the CRF Safety Committee. He has, at various times, assisted in drafting and amending the CRF Safety Manual, the WRRA Code of Regulations, the CRF Code of Regulations, the SARA Code of Regulations, and bylaws for these organizations.

Marcovy lives in Mayfield Heights. He is a partner in the law firm of LoPresti, Marcovy & Marotta, LLP, a firm concentrating in employment law from the employer's perspective, business litigation, and transactional matters.

Rowing Experience:

Columbia University Men's' Heavyweight Crew: 1970-1972; Cleveland Rowing Federation, 1988; Western Reserve Rowing Association: 1989-present. Marcovy has competed as a rower and a sculler in over 200 regattas, including ten Masters' Nationals Regattas and 14 Head of the Charles regattas



Coaching Experience:

Head Coach: CWRU, 11 years (1993 -1996; Spring, 2002-2008

coaching both mens' and womens' programs at various times); Freshman/Novice Coach, (2013 - present).

Sculling Coach: St. Ignatius HS, Cleveland, Ohio (1997-2000)

Sculling and Summer Rowing League Coach: Western Reserve Rowing Association (1995- present)

Martha Brewer Rini, WRRA Candidate Bio - 2023

While studying art history I was captivated by Thomas Eakins’ painting

Max Schmitt in a Single Scull. I committed to “row a boat like that someday”. Thirty-four years later, I finally stepped into my first rowing shell (Correctly! With one foot on the tape on the deck) with Western Reserve Rowing Association.

A native of Cleveland, I was raised in Broadview Heights and Westlake. I graduated from Bowling Green State University with majors in Business Management and Fine Arts. In what seems like another lifetime, I was a corporate buyer for Higbee’s and then Dillard’s. I left my career to raise our three sons in Bay Village but remained active in both business and the community.

I enjoy the many facets and complexity of rowing, the community at WRRA and the challenge of helping to operate a nonprofit. I have served on multiple boards in the greater Cleveland area and have a sound knowledge of board operations and procedure.

My involvement at WRRA includes:

• Five years on the Board of Directors

-Four years as the Director of Governance and Vice President

-One year as the Director of Volunteerism and Vice President

• Began rowing in 2014

-Have rowed in SRL, FRL and the previous Rec Program



• Volunteered extensively with the Equipment Committee
• Volunteered with VIPERS

I’ve enjoyed the many people I’ve met and the friendships I’ve made while rowing with WRRA. I hope to be able to continue to serve on the Board of Directors and will work to ensure Western Reserve Rowing Association remains a sound nonprofit for our members, now and into the future.